The objective of the research is to classify and identify strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae by means of their cellular proteins and to characterize gonococcal antigens which elicit human antibody response. Proteins of the gonococcus will be separated by means of electrophoresis in alkaline acrylamide gels (AGEP). Comparisons will be made between the AGEP patterns of gonococcal isolates, strains of nonpathogenic Neisseria and related genera. The resulting protein "fingerprint" will be compared with gonococcal isolates from different sources in an attempt to identify subspecies of N. gonorrhoeae. The stability of these patterns will be observed in serial subcultures from colonial variants from the same isolate.